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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211185">Part of the Team</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuvBusters/pseuds/LuvBusters'>LuvBusters</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Real Ghostbusters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Guilty Conscience, Love Confessions, Second Thoughts, Time for a new Job</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:16:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,261</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211185</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuvBusters/pseuds/LuvBusters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Janine considers a new job after being kidnapped by the crime lord.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Egon Spengler/Janine Melnitz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Part of the Team</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Janine had gotten to the point where she didn’t think she could possibly take anymore. She’s been working for the Ghostbusters for two years now. During that time, she’s experienced the explosion of the containment unit, works on a daily basis with the company mascot (a ghost of all things), puts up with the shenanigans of three weird scientists, and just recently was kidnapped by a crime lord. Winston has been the most normal person there, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stay, especially since she couldn’t shake the nightmares she was still having because of her kidnapping experience.</p>
<p>So, she had secretly been checking the classifieds for potential opportunities. She had found one that sounded like a good fit and sent in her resume. Three days later, she had received a call to schedule an interview. She told the guys she had a doctor’s appointment; no one said anything except “Hope it goes ok.” Obviously, they assumed it was a “female” appointment and didn’t ask questions.</p>
<p>The guys had gotten a call and were out when Janine received the call that the employer would like to offer her the position. She asked if she could take a day or so to think about it; she would need time to train a replacement. The man was very understanding and agreed, but gently urged her not to take too long. </p>
<p>Now, Janine sat pondering whether she really did want to quit. She loved her work and the guys, especially one in particular. But this new job offered more money, better benefits, a safer working environment and better hours. On the other hand, Janine had been with the Ghostbusters from day one. She hated the idea of abandoning them. </p>
<p>She decided to push that to the back of her mind for the time being and focus on the work in front of her. It was mid afternoon when she heard Ecto-1 returning. The big doors opened and the vehicle pulled into its parking space, shutting down. </p>
<p>Janine looked up as the four men tiredly got out. Peter had gotten the biggest part of the sliming experience while Ray and Egon came in second. Winston was nearly completely slime free except for a bit on the bottom of his jumpsuit pants. </p>
<p>It was as they were walking past her desk that she noticed they all had a smug grin on their faces. “What are you guys up to?” She asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. </p>
<p>Ray blurted out, “we’re taking you out for dinner tonight! We’ve gotta hurry and get cleaned up!” He then sprinted downstairs to take care of the ghost traps.</p>
<p>Janine’s face changed from suspicious to some mixture of anxiety mixed with happiness and overlaid with guilt and depression. </p>
<p>Egon noticed it but, not being a very good judge of emotions, didn’t think it wise to mention it. So he just smiled as he hooked up the packs to charge, making a mental note to ask her later. </p>
<p>Peter explained as he stripped off his jumpsuit, wearing jeans and a T-shirt underneath. “Yeah, we’ve been discussing it the last few days. You’ve been putting in a lot of long hours and hard work. You probably think we don’t notice it, but we do. So, as a gesture of our appreciation, we’re taking you out tonight.” He smiled at her, a genuine smile.</p>
<p>“That’s right, Janine! It’s important that you know you’re a significant part of the team!” Winston added.</p>
<p>Janine’s eyes teared up. “I …. I don’t know what to say!”</p>
<p>“That’s a first,” Peter chirped, giving Janine a playful wink.</p>
<p>She just stuck out her tongue and smiled. “What time?”</p>
<p>“We made reservations for 6:00pm,” Egon said, checking his watch. </p>
<p>“Ok, that gives you guys three hours! I’ll be sure to be ready!” Janine said happily.</p>
<p>***************************<br/>The guys took Janine to an Italian restaurant she likes. They enjoyed a wonderful dinner with lots of laughter. Janine actually forgot about her job opportunity until they were on the way back to the firehouse. </p>
<p>Peter, Ray and Winston headed upstairs. Ray had brought a doggie bag back for Slimer and was eager to give it to him. </p>
<p>Egon hesitated downstairs while Janine grabbed her winter coat to head home. She turned around and saw him standing there, an unreadable look on his face. “Egon? What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>He took a deep breath, then walked up to Janine. “I wanted to ask you the same thing.”</p>
<p>She laughed nervously. “Whaddya mean?”</p>
<p>“When you found out about our dinner surprise, you looked very …. uncomfortable? I’m not sure if that’s the right word? It was an expression I’ve never seen before. But it wasn’t one of happiness that I had expected.”</p>
<p>Janine’s smile faded. “I’ve been doing some thinking. I’ve been with you guys for two years and a lot of stuff has happened. I thought maybe it was time that I moved on.”</p>
<p>Egon’s eyes widened in fear. “Moved on? You mean, quit?!”</p>
<p>“Egon, please understand,” she pleaded. “ It’s a lot of little things that have built up over time. Things haven’t been easy for me here. It’s an odd job to begin with, the hours are ungodly, and after what happened a few weeks ago, I thought maybe it was time.”</p>
<p>He slowly inches closer, now standing inches away from Janine. The look of hurt in his eyes was overwhelming. “Maybe we can fix them?”</p>
<p>Janine sadly shook her head. “It’s too late, Egon. I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>As she turned to leave, Egon grabbed Janine by the arm, pulling her to him. He wrapped one arm around her waist while cupping the side of her face with the other hand. He kissed her deeply on the lips. Too stunned to do anything else, Janine rested her hands on his waist, kissing him back. </p>
<p>As the kiss ended, Egon pulled back just a bit to look at Janine. He smiled while blushing. He was relieved that she was, too. </p>
<p>The others were watching from the top of the stairs. They had wondered what was taking Egon so long and had made their way back to the stairs. After seeing the display of affection, Peter immediately shushed Ray and Winston. </p>
<p>Suddenly, they all burst into a round of applause. “It’s about damn time!” Peter shouted.</p>
<p>Egon and Janine, startled, jumped back from each other. </p>
<p>Janine glared at Peter, her hands on her hips. “Exactly how long have you pervs been watching?!”</p>
<p>The three walked down to join Egon and Janine. “Just in time to see the kiss. Keep your panties straight,” Peter drawled. </p>
<p>Ray gave Egon a big smile and a thumbs up. Winston playfully punched Egon’s arm. “Way to go, man! We’ve been wondering how long it was gonna take you two!”</p>
<p>Peter looked at Janine. “Seriously, we need to chat.”</p>
<p>She suddenly became very nervous. “About what?” </p>
<p>He grinned at her. “You know about what.” </p>
<p>Janine’s eyes teared up, but she wasn’t able to speak.</p>
<p>Peter placed a hand on her shoulder. “What do we have to do to keep you here?”</p>
<p>She looked at him in shock. “You ….. KNOW?!”</p>
<p>“Of course I know!” Peter smiled as he leaned back against her desk. “The position you interviewed for is the office of an old college friend of mine!”</p>
<p>Janine rolled her eyes. “Of course.”</p>
<p>“He looked over your resume. Once he realized who you were, he gave me a quick buzz. He wanted to know if things here were going belly up, because he couldn’t understand otherwise why you’d consider leaving?”</p>
<p>“What’d you say?” Janine asked, almost panicked by this point. She was quite aware that she may be on the verge of being completely unemployed.</p>
<p>Peter’s smile widened. “I told him things are going great, which they are. I mean, yeah, we’re slammed half the time but that’s job security! I told him it must have been some misunderstanding as to why you were applying. Because you’re indispensable to us.”</p>
<p>Janine smiled, almost hysterical with relief. “It’s just been a rough time lately for me,” she explained, her expression becoming frightened. “The long hours have really taken it out of me, and after the kidnapping thing….,”</p>
<p>Pete’s eyes narrowed. “Why didn’t you say something?” he asked softly, taking Janine’s hand in his. </p>
<p>“Because I was ashamed,” she cried, tears sliding down her face. </p>
<p>“Why? We all get scared sometimes,” Ray whispered. </p>
<p>“Those guys were pretty big; I was surprised that you weren’t screaming when Egon found you!” Winston added.</p>
<p>Egon stepped forward and wrapped his arm protectively around her waist. Peter walked behind Janine’s desk, sitting in her chair. He grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper. </p>
<p>“Ok, let’s talk,” Peter said. “What’s it gonna take to keep you here? How much more money?” He looked at her seriously.</p>
<p>“I’d say at least a 3% increase!” Ray suggested. </p>
<p>Winston nodded. </p>
<p>Peter thought for a moment, then wrote down, “alright, a 4% pay raise effective immediately. At the end of this quarter, we’ll reevaluate and possibly increase it up to 5%. Is that good?” He looked at Janine.</p>
<p>Again, she was too stunned for words, so she just nodded.</p>
<p>“Ok, next: office safety. Egon and Ray are in the process of working on a security system that will make the other companies around here jealous.”</p>
<p>“Not to mention I am also engineering a small handheld device that you can use to ward off any potential attackers,” Egon said.</p>
<p>“Not to be tested on ME!” Peter interjected.</p>
<p>They all laughed. </p>
<p>“We’re also giving you another week of paid vacation,” Winston added. </p>
<p>“We can’t do much about the health insurance coverage until next year. We’re stuck in the contract,” Peter explained. “But we’re gonna look into better options.”</p>
<p>“Yes, especially if we continue utilizing the ER areas here,” Egon said.</p>
<p>Peter placed his notes in an envelope and left on Janine’s desk. “I’ll get these notes to Tully in the morning. He can draw up a new contract.” He then stood and headed upstairs. “Come on everybody; let’s get a cold one!”</p>
<p>Janine joined the guys upstairs. They all had beers except Egon, who drank a canned soda. Janine raised an eyebrow and leaned across the table. </p>
<p>“Tell me one thing Peter: if your friend told you I had applied, why is it that no one else did?”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?” he asked innocently.</p>
<p>“I had two other interviews last week. One of them practically told me I had it on the spot. But I never heard back. Why do I have the feeling I have you to thank for that?”</p>
<p>Peter gave her a smug grin. The others stared at him. </p>
<p>“Peter! What did you do?” Winston asked. </p>
<p>“I looked in the classifieds to see who else was hiring for positions that you’d be interested in or qualified for,” Peter said nonchalantly. “I called them and explained to them the same thing I explained to Greg: you’re indispensable and there was a misunderstanding.”</p>
<p>Janine set her bottle of beer on the table. “So, you made me unhireable!” </p>
<p>The others gasped, obviously unaware of what Peter had done. </p>
<p>“I had no choice! We can’t lose you!” Peter pleaded. </p>
<p>“You’ve been with us from the ground up, Janine. Please stay!” Ray begged. </p>
<p>Janine slowly looked each man in the eyes, seeing sorrow and fear in each one. “I’m sorry for even considering leaving. I was just ….. scared.” She hung her head.</p>
<p>Egon reached over and placed his hand over hers. “It’s ok. But please, talk to us from now on whenever there’s a concern instead of running from it.”</p>
<p>She nodded. “The security system: how did you know I was worried about that?”</p>
<p>“Because we all were,” Winston replied. “It made us realize how open this place is.”</p>
<p>“But you can’t afford the raise you’ve offered,” she pointed out.</p>
<p>“I write the checks around here, and I’m quite aware of how we stand financially,” Peter said. “You let me handle that.” He gave her a wink.</p>
<p>Janine sat back in her chair. “Well, I guess I’m making a phone call tomorrow and declining that job?” She turned her attention to Peter. “Unless you’ve already done that, too?”</p>
<p>He smiled smugly. “You can if it makes you feel better. But, it’d just be a formality.” </p>
<p>She giggled and shook her head. “I appreciate everything you guys have done. I mean that. And you don’t have to worry; I’m not quitting.” She offered Ray a big smile.</p>
<p>He returned the smile as bright as ever. </p>
<p>Egon stood as she did to escort her to her car. Peter stopped them before they got too far. “By the way, Melnitz: you and I are going to be having regular sessions until we get those nightmares under control.”</p>
<p>She smiled. “Yes, Dr. V. No problem.” She then turned and went downstairs with Egon. </p>
<p>He helped her to the car. She rolled down her window before leaving. “What can you offer me to make sure I stick around?” she purred.</p>
<p>Egon raised his eyebrow. “I thought perhaps you could assist me with some social …. experiments - at your place?” His voice was seductive.</p>
<p>Janine shivered involuntarily. “Oh Dr. Spengler! Just let me know when!” </p>
<p>He leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips. “We can begin this Saturday.” </p>
<p>“It’s a date!” She agreed, then happily drove off. </p>
<p>As she drove home, Janine suddenly realized how fortunate she is to have these guys in her life. She would indeed stay put. After all, she’s part of the Ghostbusters.</p>
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